Business Financing is one of the most essential elements of any business.

Yet, despite the universal need for getting a loan to acquire, start, or build a business, there is a very limited understanding as to how to actually go about the process of getting a suitable business loan or creating a sustainable financing strategy.

Unfortunately, many deals and business plans either become at risk, or out right fail, when business loans or other forms of commercial capital do not materialize out of the highly fragmented commercial financing market. And since the 2008 recession, the market place is even more difficult to figure out and successfully navigate.

There is still lot of debt and equity capital available in the market place, but its not always easy to access.

So regardless of whether you're a manager or owner, your core expertise, or your country of origin, knowledge of finance is unavoidable and absolutely critical to whatever success you hope to achieve during your business career. 

Don't get me wrong here.  Marketing is and always be the most important aspect of any business.  If you don't have a customer you don't have a business.  So while Marketing always needs to be #1 in your business, finance needs to be a close second.

Why?  

Because properly managing cash flow provides the ability for the business to function and potentially grow. It's also very likely that most  businesses, at some point or another, will require the use of financial leverage to grow or even just continue their operations.  

These are the two essential elements of business financing...leverage and cash flow management.

In many cases, access to capital is going to be important to starting a business, operating a business, and selling it at the point of owner exit or transition.

But if you only react to a funding need at the very point when its required, it may be difficult and sometimes impossible to get the capital you require in place, for the terms and conditions you desire, in the time you have to work with.

This is why its essential that business managers and owners invest in their ongoing business financing education and develop access to the necessary expertise so that they can always be either in a "financeable position", or working towards that objective.